CONSTRUCTION OF THE HIVE OF ELOI. 251 



The history of this hive was inserted anonymously in the 

 Bibliotheque Physico-economique, in which it is repre- 

 sented with only four stories, and from that work we extract 

 the following simple and ingenious method adopted by 

 l'Abbe Eloi, which the peculiar construction of his hives 

 renders so easy, of procuring some beautiful honey-comb at 

 an early period of the season. A bowl or a glass vase is 

 placed on the bottom of the last story. This vase must com- 

 pletely cover the five great holes, and the bees will very soon 

 commence the construction of their combs in it, and fill 

 them with honey. The vase is placed in the hive the same 

 day as the swarm, and in a fortnight or three weeks after- 

 wards, it may be taken away, by drawing a thick brass wire 

 between the vase and the bottom. It must be observed 

 the bottom on which the vase is placed should be pierced 

 with only five large holes, or with one large one of the same 

 diameter as the vase. 



The hive of l'Abbe Eloi possesses, however, one advantage 

 over that of Ricour, which is, that a proper choice can be 

 made of the story, which is the most ready and fit to take, 

 and thus a harvest can be reaped, according to the will of 

 the proprietor. In regard to the enemies of the bees, the 

 hive of Eloi is equally exposed to them, and, indeed, it appears 

 to us in general, that the different inventors of hives have 

 not paid that attention to a proper protection from the en- 

 croachments of the numerous enemies of the bees, which 

 they so particularly require. 



There is, perhaps, no species of hive which has undergone 

 so many modifications, improvements, and alterations, as the 

 storifying hive. At one time, the practice of storifying was 

 so prevalent in France, that every other system gave way 

 to it. Swammerdam may be considered as the father of the 

 storifying system, and he mentions that he once possessed a 

 colony of thirty stories ; this might with great propriety be 

 called the tower of Babel of the bees : but Swammerdam 

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